The Fire Dance
by edpevensie246
Summary: Who thought love could be so powerful? Believe me, I didn't. I knew that I loved her, but then things started to change when she started to like another guy. And the worse thing about it was she loved me too.
1. I thought I knew

_A/N: Okay, the _Percy Jackson_ series is my absolute _favorite_, and I think Riordan did a great job with pacing and how deep he went into stuff like Percy and Annabeth's relationship. However, as a fan fiction author, it's my job to expand on the two's relationship, and to add a little twist of my own. Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the _Percy Jackson and the Olympians _characters. I only own Thomas._

Chapter 1: I thought I knew

Percy

As soon as you know you love someone, everything changes for you. You can't be away from that person, and it's almost as if they're your sole life source. In other words, they're your air that you breathe, your oxygen. This is how it was for me when I realized I loved Annabeth. She loved me back, no kidding, but it wasn't just a boyfriend girlfriend kind of love. It was mutual. We had almost everything in common. We could talk to each other about anything. We knew each other's deepest secrets, save a few, and we understood each other to the maximum. It was great, no joke.

But greatness can only last for a while. After your fifteen minutes of fame, it's done. That's how it was for us. She loved me, I loved her. It was perfect, until Thomas Jilk came to camp, and Annabeth found how she could compare me to him. He was better at archery than I was (well, there's a surprise). He could canoe. He could run like the wind. He had a great hand for sword-fighting. He could play poker better than I could. He understood what Annabeth meant when she talked about architecture and her new designs for Olympus. He was everything she could ever want.

And I wasn't.

I thought I knew what she wanted. I thought she wanted me. I thought that I would always be her Seaweed Brain. I thought that I had won her over. Obviously, I was wrong.

But I'm not going to confuse you. Let's just go back to the beginning of the story.

The sun was setting on the horizon when Annabeth and I walked down to the beach. The water shone with the colors of the rainbow, a sight beautiful enough for just this moment. It was perfect.

We held hands and interlocked our fingers, the touch of her hand sending little shockwaves through my body. She brushed a strand of curly blonde hair behind her ear and looked into my eyes. I gazed into hers, those big, gray eyes, and it automatically felt like my brain was melting. Not just my brain, my entire body, too.

We walked a little farther towards the water and sat down in the sand, unlatching our hands so we could catch ourselves before we fell. Annabeth shifted closer to me and took my left hand again, running her fingers over my palm. It tickled a little, but not enough to say anything.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm reading your future," she said softly, continuing to brush my palm with her smooth fingers.

"I thought that was decided."

"Well," she smiled, looking up at me, "We knew your future up until the prophecy ended, and now none of us have any clue, including you. I thought it was time to get a little glimpse."

I wanted to say that we could just ask Rachel, the new Oracle, but I knew how adverse Annabeth would be to that decision. She probably wouldn't speak to me for a day or so.

So I asked, "What do you see?" Her eyebrows scrunched together, and I saw the look of puzzlement that flashed across her face.

"Anger," she whispered, "Hurt." I didn't see that coming. I thought my future would have lots of good things in it for once. But good things never come easily, as I have learned.

But I kept going, "Anything else?"

She put my hand in my lap and leaned in close, wrapping one hand around my neck. "Love," she said. And then she kissed me. It was deeper and more emotional than usual. I could feel it in her body language. She shifted her weight so that she was soon in my lap and my arms were around her waist. She was kissing me ferociously, and I liked it. I kissed back.

A breeze blew over us, and Annabeth shivered and snuggled into my chest.

"Cold?" I asked, wrapping my arm around her shoulder and resting my head on hers. She nodded and wiggled a little further in, making herself comfortable. And I was pretty comfortable too.

And yet, deep down in the pit of my stomach, I knew it wouldn't last. This kind of love would only be there for a little more time, and that's all we would have. Then it would be over.

I didn't want it to be over. I wanted this to last forever. I wanted _us_ to last forever. But I knew, because we were half-bloods, that that was never going to happen.


	2. A Welcomed Newcomer

_A/N: The last chapter ended on a kind of bad note in Percy's mind, because he could tell that things weren't going to be there for much longer between him and Annabeth. So, because it kind of seems the opposite at the end of the last Olympian, I decided to make it my own. I added a new character and kind of played around with the usual arguments and "spats" between Percy and Annabeth. Grover will come in a lot, too, as he does in the main story line, and I really think that he makes a great satyr and a totally awesome friend. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the_ Percy Jackson and the Olympians _characters. I only own Thomas._

Chapter 2: A welcomed newcomer

Percy

After last night on the beach, I could tell that Annabeth and I were going to get ourselves into something. She said I would always be her "Seaweed Brain", and that she would never let go. Still, I had the feeling that she would. But I didn't think it would come in the form of another guy.

The second Thomas Jilk stepped across the boundary line I knew whose cabin he was going to be in: mine. He had dark hair and dark eyes, almost like a son of Hades, but his skin gave him away. See, half-bloods, depending on their parent, have certain types of skin. And Thomas had the exact same skin as me: sort of tan with a bluish-green tint.

"Percy," Grover called, leading Thomas towards me, "This is Thomas. He's new."

"I could sort of guess that."

Grover glared at me, something he usually did when I fed him sarcasm, and he looked at Thomas and said, "I'll let Percy give you the tour." Then he walked away. Thomas nodded and shoved both hands into his pockets.

"Hey," he whispered, "I guess I don't have to introduce myself."

I chuckled. His head popped up at the sound, and he seemed a little more relieved. I said, "Guess not."

He smiled. "So, you're supposed to be giving me a tour?"

"Yeah…this way," I said, motioning towards the Big House. He followed me as I walked towards the centerpiece of camp. He seemed like a pretty good guy, but I didn't have _any_ idea of the impact that he was going to have on me later.

After going through all of camp except one place, I started to lead Thomas towards the cabin area, pointing out the woods and the river and other useful landmarks. I had to use them as a first year camper.

Then I spotted Annabeth by the river, showing another new camper around. She saw me too and came running up the hill.

"Hey, Percy," she smiled. "This is Abby." She motioned towards the new girl, who waved at me happily and stared up at me with large, bright, blue eyes. "Who's this?"

"This is Thomas," I replied.

"Hi, Thomas," Annabeth chided, "I'm Annabeth."

"Hey," Thomas whispered.

I kissed Annabeth on the cheek and pulled Thomas towards the cabins, leaving Annabeth blushing and having to explain to a new camper why.

"Dude," Thomas laughed, "You're so lucky. Your girlfriend is so _hot_."

"I know, man, I know."


	3. Initiation Ritual

_A/N: I decided to not have Percy get in an argument with Annabeth in the last chapter, particularly because it would sort of screw up my general idea, and I wanted Thomas to know that Annabeth was Percy's girlfriend so the story would go the way I wanted it to. However, in this chapter, I put Grover in a little bit more (sorry about not doing it before), and I had the epiphany that Thomas should meet Clarisse._

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_ characters. I only own Thomas._

Chapter 3: Initiation Ritual

Percy

Hey, it wasn't my idea that Clarisse should shove kids' heads into toilets as an "initiation ritual". And it also wasn't my idea that she pick on Thomas the day I was showing him around. But, guess what? She did anyway.

I know, real surprising. But I had been able to get myself out of her wrath purely by an unknown instinct. I had felt that tug in my gut, that pull that the water sent through my veins, and I started to realize that instinct; I started to be able to control it.

But Thomas didn't have that instinct. Even if he was in my cabin, he wouldn't have the powers that I did. There was only one way to get him out of it, and that was to stay hidden and use my powers from a distance. The only problem with that is that he would be dry, and I would fool him into thinking that he'd done it. That wouldn't do. So I'd just have to stand and watch until the last second, and then I'd save him. Hey, I'd taken hits from Clarisse before, and from her dad. I could do it again.

"Hey, new kid," Clarisse called. She came up from behind us and wrapped her arms around Thomas's neck, not tight enough to choke him, but enough to scare him half to death. "We have an initiation ritual for pinkies like you."

Whoa, déjà vu.

"Leave him alone, Clarisse," I growled, "There are many other new kids for you to pick on. Why choose him?"

"Because he hangs out with you," she replied, tightening her grip. All right, I couldn't argue with that one. I was the target for most bullies. Everyone else just got left alone.

Thomas gave me a panicked look as Clarisse dragged him off to the girls' bathroom, pressing harder into his neck. He choked and gasped for air as I followed them, my hands balled into tight fists.

"No interfering, Prissy," Clarisse growled at me, and took a fistful of Thomas's dark hair, and he yelped in pain.

She bent him over and started to push his head down towards the toilet, her friends giggling and starting to gather behind me. I unclenched my hands and felt a tug in my gut. Suddenly, the water burst out of the toilets drenching Clarisse and hitting her smack in the face.

"Not again," she gurgled. The water shut off and Clarisse pulled herself back up and marched towards me. "You'd better not have done that, or I'm coming after you."

"I didn't," I lied. She glared at me, and then marched off towards her cabin. Thomas looked at me, eyes wide, and I smiled. He shook his head, bewildered.

"What the hell was that?" he asked.

"That was me," I told him, helping him to his feet. When he looked down and saw that he too was dry, he stared at me. My eyes opened wide.

"What did you feel?"

"Pain," he answered.

"No, did you feel anything before the toilets burst?"

"A tug in my gut," he replied. "Why?"

"Oh gods, I knew it," I whispered to myself.

"What did you know?"

"You're my half brother." He fell backwards towards the wall, his eyes rolling back into his head. I caught him before he could hit it, yelling his name.

Jeez, most people would be happy to have a half brother that had just saved their ass.

_A/N: You wouldn't think that Percy would ever curse, but I kind of changed things up in this story, and the ratings are different than in the books. So I have a little more liberty. But that was the first curse word in the story, I think, and I'm surprised I've lasted that long. ^-^ R and R!!!_


	4. A Little Thing Called Lying

_A/N: The last chapter was kind of a déjà vu scenario for Percy and I kind of copied how things went in the book in terms of the timeline. Sorry, Rick! But in this chapter I wanted things to heat up between Percy and Annabeth, and I wanted their relationship to take a sharp decline. To all those who reviewed or added this story to their Favorites: THANKS SO MUCH!!!!_

Chapter 4: A Little Thing Called Lying

Percy

After lunch, I encountered Annabeth in the cabin area, looking warily over her shoulder at cabin five as she walked towards me. "What happened to Clarisse?" she asked me, staring deep into my eyes.

"Her initiation ritual backfired."

"Really, Percy," she sighed, "Couldn't you just have let Thomas take care of himself?"

"No, because he didn't have the instinct that I had," I replied, "Or so I thought."

A look of puzzlement flashed across her face, and I could see the gears spinning in her head. She was processing the situation, just like she'd done with me the first time, and then she found her answer.

"You think he might be…"

"Yeah," I nodded. "I asked him if he felt anything before the water came out of the toilets and he said he'd felt a sharp tug in his gut. It happened just as it had with me. But it was stronger than last time because both of us were using our powers."

" Then I guess you have another half brother."

"Yeah," I sighed, "Great."

Annabeth smiled at my sarcasm and wrapped her arms around me. "It won't be so bad; Thomas seems like a great guy."

"Yeah, sure, one who could beat me in a battle if he tried," I replied.

"Percy, no one can beat you. Who do you think Poseidon would side with if he had to?" She stared up into my eyes and leaned her chin against my chest.

"Oh, right, that," I answered.

"Exactly," she said, "You were the child of the Prophecy, Percy. No one can compete with that."

I smiled to myself. I _was_ the child of the prophecy. And heck, if I couldn't beat Thomas, then that was just sad.

She pulled her arms tighter around me and kissed me, smiling into the kiss. I kissed back, and everything seemed fine, but that tension was still stirring in the pit of my stomach, waiting to burst. I savored the moment, praying to Aphrodite that she would make this a little easier.

"Annabeth," Thomas called, "Have you seen Percy?"

"No," she answered, "Why?"

"I have to ask him something."

"Oh, um, I think he might be at the Pegasus stables…why don't you check there?"

"Ok, thanks," Thomas replied, jogging off towards the stables at a quick pace. Annabeth stared after him in wonder, the gears spinning in her head yet again. He looked hurried, very hurried, like something was urgent and if he didn't ask me he might pass out from shock or something. His hair was tussled and his shirt was torn, three tears across his chest, a sign that'd he'd been in a fight with some sort of animal in the forest. There was no telling what, but his chest was perfectly healed, as if he'd just come out of the creek. _Come out of the creek_, she thought, and her eyes widened. '_I have to ask him something'._ _Yes, Percy's right. He's got a new half brother._

Thomas burst into the stables, making me jump in Blackjack's stall. The Pegasus whinnied.

_Boss, who's the new kid?_

_That's Thomas_, I answered, _possibly my half brother._ Then I saw the boy's shirt. There were three tears across his chest, as if he'd just been in a fight with an animal, but where the tears were, he should have been bleeding. But he was perfectly healed.

I came out of the stall and studied him over, his ruffled hair, his torn shirt, his shoe laces untied. "What happened to you?" I asked.

"An animal in the forest came and found me by the creek. I fought it, but it cut my chest before I could defeat it."

"What'd you do?"

"I got in the creek," he said, looking confused.

"And what happened?" I asked, getting closer to the point at which I wanted to be. I had to know if it was going to be true.

"The cuts healed." My eyes widened and we stood there for a moment in silence.

"I have to go," I gasped, and sprinted out of the barn to where Annabeth would be, probably waiting for me.

"Wait!" he shouted, but I was already halfway there.

"Annabeth," I shouted, running as quick as I could towards her, almost knocking her over. "It's true," I gasped, trying to catch my breath.

"What is?" she asked.

"I've got a new half brother."

"Oh, fabulous, one more child of the Big Three," she sighed.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's like having two of you, Percy," she smiled. But I didn't find it funny.

"Gee, thanks, that's real nice coming from my girlfriend…whom I _love_."

"I'm just saying that another child of the Big Three on campus would be a hard thing to deal with."

"Nico's here, I'm here, and now Thomas is here. Is that such a bad thing? Besides, the Prophecy is over and done with."

"That doesn't mean he won't be one of the half-bloods in that other Prophecy that Rachel foretold. He could be one of the seven demigods."

"Yeah, but he's nothing like me. Why are you comparing me to him?"

"Face it, Percy, another child of the Big Three will mean more monsters trying to break in. Just because we defeated Kronos doesn't mean that Hades will stop sending monsters after his brother's kids."

"I didn't say that."

"You implied it."

"I imply lots of things. And I'm implying _now_ that I shouldn't not be compared by my _girlfriend_ to a guy that's my _half-brother_."

Annabeth grunted in frustration. "Do you ever _not_ take things sarcastically?!"

"I wasn't being sarcastic! I was telling the _truth!_"

"Well, that shows that there's a first time for everything, now doesn't it?!" she screamed into my face. Campers were starting to gather around us. A couple of campers from the Ares cabin were snickering, including Clarisse. Some of the Athena campers were staring in shock at their half-sister. The Apollo campers were armed with rubber arrows just in case things got nasty. The Aphrodite cabin was jotting down notes and writing in pink diaries, and flipping golden drachmas in their hands, probably to tell their mother what happened.

But I was only paying attention to the fact that there were tears in Annabeth's eyes. She didn't like fighting with me; she never had. It always made her cry. And now that I'd confessed my love for her, it just made it worse. But that didn't stop the fight.

"Are you calling me a _liar_?"

"You've lied to me before, about Rachel, remember? 'Oh, she's just a friend. I don't like her at all.' Yeah, right," she yelled, her voice getting higher. Her hands were balled into fists, and her teeth were clenched. I was getting madder. She was actually saying that I _lied_ to her. I had never lied to her, never.

"I've always loved you, Annabeth! You know that! Rachel has never even _compared_ to you! I've always found you attractive, from the moment I first laid eyes on you! Don't make me take back my word. I _love_ you, Annabeth! Do you really want that to change?"

The tears started to fall, "Of course not, Percy! You know that I love you too. I wouldn't ever want that to change."

"Really," I said, "Are you sure? Wouldn't it be better if I just went ahead and _died_, Annabeth?!"

And then she did what I'd never seen her do before to anyone, not even me. She slapped me, square across the cheek. The whole camp gasped, all the campers having gathered around us in a circle. Annabeth winced, as if slapping me had hurt her too. Well, maybe she shouldn't have done it then, if it caused her so much pain.

"Never say that again, Perseus Jackson. I would never live it down if you died. I love you too, you know."

"I know that Annabeth, but something stirred when you compared me to _him. _I shouldn't be feeling that if we're in love, and you shouldn't be comparing me to someone who could potentially step between us."

And then I walked away.


End file.
